Michigan doesn’t have any laws prohibiting the sale or ownership of alligators in the state, so it’s up to cities to create any alligator bans.
So, are there any Metro Detroit cities or townships where it’s legal to sell and own alligators? You might be surprised to find out what Local 4 Investigators discovered.
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Our investigative team looked at 23 city codes for randomly selected cities and townships in the Metro Detroit area.
They found that Allen Park, Novi and Westland specifically prohibit residents from owning alligators but have exceptions to their laws for pet stores. That means pet stores can legally import and sell alligators to residents who can’t legally own them.
For Highland Park, Plymouth, Inkster and Royal Oak we couldn’t find any mention or alligators or other exotic animals in city codes. So, presumably, it’s legal to own buy and sell alligators in those cities.
In Troy, residents may own alligators, but must first get a permit from the city.
Of the rest of the cities surveyed, several have vague codes that mention bans on “dangerous” animals, but it seems to us that “dangerous” is up to interpretation, and small, young alligator may not be considered “dangerous” -- until the animal begins to mature.
Click here to see our latest report from a pet store that sells alligators in Allen Park.
View a spreadsheet below to see which cities we looked at and what we found: